There is no such thing as a multi-Tasker.

What some Sales Managers say:

Have you ever heard a sales Manager say something along these lines?

• “I don’t care how you get it done, just get it done”.
• “I don’t care what you do or where you are, just bring in the bacon.”
• “You have one job to do and that is to hit your sales target.”

For many people they interpret the above to sound like you have Freedom.

It’s far from Freedom!

It’s a cop out and setting up your Sales Reps to fail.

What Sales Reps say:

How many times have you heard someone that works in sales with you saying something along these lines or even felt like this yourself?

• “I’m feeling drained today.”
• “I feel like I can’t keep up with everything.”
• “I’m struggle to concentrate.”
• “I’m so tired, even after a good night’s sleep.”
• “I have no energy left to deal with this.”
• “I’m overwhelmed by everything on my plate.”
• “I just need a break.”
• “I can’t seem to focus on anything.”
• I” feel like I’m running on empty.”
• “I’m mentally exhausted.”

When you hear someone say this or feel like this yourself, it often reflects feelings of fatigue, overwhelm, clarity or energy and as a Sales Leader, you should pay attention to these signs and fix the problem.

I will explain how to do this a little later.

On the surface a Sales Process looks really simple, but for those who are in the trenches everyday will know it does not look like this in reality.

For the Sales Superstars on the ground, ever wonder why some days you are firing on all cylinders, while others you struggle to get anything done? It’s not just about motivation; it’s about understanding the mental levels at play.

Picture this:

Your brain is like a multi-story building, with each floor representing a different level of cognitive demand. The ground floor might be routine tasks, like data entry or responding to emails. As you move to the next floor, you encounter higher levels like strategic planning, problem-solving, etc.

Constantly bouncing between these levels can be exhausting, like sprinting up and down stairs all day.

Here’s the truth.

You may not remember this now but its highly likely that one of the attributes on the job description you responded to, and just about every job advertised today asks for someone who can multi-task.

Multitasking is neither or a good thing nor a bad thing….it simply does not exist!

The question is, are you?background tasking, which may improve productivity, or are you?switchtasking, which always harms productivity?

Attempting to do multiple attention-requiring tasks at the same time. Each switch in attention incurs switching cost, which includes a loss of time, decrease in performance, and an increase in stress levels. When most people say they are “multitasking,” they are most often referring to switchtasking.

Background tasking?= performing a task while something mindless or mundane occurs in the background.

Examples include delegating tasks to employees while you work on more valuable activities, putting a machine to work on a large job while you answer email, and exercising while you listen to music. Background tasking can improve productivity overall.

You know the drill: Everyday you and our team face a barrage of tasks, decisions, challenges all while you just have one simple job to do, and that is to hit your sales target, right?

Many people who have worked for me in my sales teams have second guessed my unwavering belief in structured processes. I don’t implement structured processes for me, or because I am bored or just simply trying to be a pain in the ass.

I do it because it gives each person on my team a clear roadmap of what their day will look like, what needs to get done today so they know how they going to move the needle to move a Lead to a Win without feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and de-motivated and unhappy.

The good news is that even if you think you have a structured sales process, you have the opportunity to revisit this today for the benefit of your team, yourself as a Sales Leader and your organization.

How to fix his problem -

Streamline Your Success

Think of a structured sales process as your teams GPS – it guides them from a lead to close with precision and efficiency. By breaking down the sales journey into clear steps, you eliminate guesswork and ensure consistency across the board.

Minimize Cognitive Overload

Remember those mental levels, I spoke about? A well-defined sales process helps your team stay focused on the task at hand, reducing the cognitive load that comes from constant context switching. Instead of juggling a million things at once, they can tackle each stage with confidence and clarity.

Foster Collaboration and Accountability

With defined workflows in place, everyone knows their role and responsibilities. This fosters collaboration and accountability, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. Plus, it streamlines communication and handoffs between team members, keeping the momentum going from lead generation to deal closure.

Drive Continuous Improvement

My sales processes are not set in stone – they are meant to evolve and improve over time. By analyzing data and feedback at each stage, you can identify bottlenecks, refine strategies, and fine-tune your approach for maximum effectiveness. It’s my recipe for continuous improvement and unstoppable growth.

Don’t just take my word for it. The numbers speak for themselves:

• Companies with a defined sales process experience 18% more revenue growth than those without.
• Sales Reps who follow a structured process are 56% more likely to meet or exceed their quotas.

So, how do you get started?

First off, structured processes aren’t just for big corporations – they’re a game-changer for teams of all sizes.

Map Out Your Sales Journey

Identify key stages, milestones, and touchpoints in your sales process. Keep it simple, but comprehensive.

Document Your Workflows

Define clear roles, responsibilities, and action steps for each stage, Document everything – from lead qualification criteria to follow-up cadences.

Embrace Technology

Leverage CRM systems, automation tools, and analytics platforms to streamline your processes and gain actionable insights.

Make sure you use a Sales Execution CRM that can execute your Sales Process for you. This means you Sales Reps, are presented with the next task, activity, step to complete. It means you remove any switchtasking that creates that cognitive fatigue in the first place. This is super crucial, so read this point again.

(I love helping people achieve success in this space, so always happy to talk through this with you)

Goodluck if you try achieving this on excel. ??

A premium sales automation CRM addresses the benefits of reduced decision-making overload, improved time management, enhanced focus on core activities, consistency and quality assurance, and support for learning and development by offering advanced automation, workflow optimization, and training capabilities tailored to the needs of modern sales teams.

Train, Train, Train

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your job is done once you have documented your workflows and put it somewhere for everyone to read. That is just another switchtask you are creating. It's your responsibility as a sales leader to equip your team with the skills and knowledge they need to execute your sales process flawlessly. Make it part of your daily standups, weekly catchups, monthly meetings to keep them sharp and focused. This helps them understand why this whole exercise helps them avoid cognitive fatigue and burnout.

Something that really excites me, is that when someone on your team takes the next step in their career, the chances of them using this successful approach in leading their teams to success is high. So, keep spreading the awareness about the myths around multi-tasking. It's nonsense.

Stop hiring for multi-taskers and good time managers. Fix your Sales Process! That’s where the problem lies.

There is so much research that has been done on the concept of cognitive load, multitasking and their impact on productivity. I have suffered burnout myself, and I am 100% clear that I will never allow this to happen to me again. It was a time in my life I felt miserable all the time and I never want to see this happen to anyone who works with me.

This is not fluff so ignore it at your own peril.

Look at this example where Aviation Authorities require air traffic controllers to take breaks every 2 hours.

How does taking breaks help prevent errors?

Research has shown that continuous mental exertion without regular breaks can decrease an individual’s cognitive abilities and decision-making skills. By taking breaks, air traffic controllers can reduce the risk of fatigue-related errors and maintain a higher level of concentration.

Read about it yourself right here -

Why do air traffic controllers take breaks every 2 hours? - Employment Security Commission (ncesc.com)

Test this with your team next week

Here’s a quick exercise you can do with your team next week that will show you how switchtasking is impacting your team’s efficiency.

Take an A4 piece of paper and create a block exactly like the example below.

Test 1

• Have at timer ready.
• In the first row, copy the phrase “Switchtasking is a thief”.
• After copying the entire phrase in the first row, switch to the second row and write the numbers 1 to 21.
• Like this:
• Switchtasking is a thief.
• 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

• 7. Write down the total time your team takes to complete.

Test 2

• Have at timer ready.
• In the third row, copy the phrase “Switchtasking is a thief”.
• For every letter you write in the third row, switch to the fourth row and write the corresponding number.
• Like this:

• Write down the total time your team takes to complete.

Compare the results between Test 1 and Test 2. Typically, a person who is switchtasking will take longer to complete the exercise, see a considerable decrease in the quality of work, and experience more stress completing the test.

My results for you interest.

• Test 1 – 31.40 seconds
• Test 2 – 41.67 seconds

Switchtasking took me longer to complete the task.

So, the question is, what are you going to do to fix this problem in your sales teams next week?

Hope you enjoyed this edition of The Revenue Ramp-Up.

Chantelle